Automatic vending-machine.



No. 769,063. )PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904, J. c. DOUGHERTY & J. w. DAWSON.

AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

NOYMODELY @Alforge ys 9 UNITED STATES Patented August 30, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,063, dated August 30, 1904:.

I Application filed. April 7, 1903. Serial No. 151,467- (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

- Be it known that we, JOHN C. DOUGHERTY and JAMES W, DAWSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Ray and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification. 4

Our invention relates to coin-actuated vending-machines, and our invention especially relates to a machine for automatically vending sacks of pop-corn or peanuts.

. One advantages of this vending-machine over those containing clockwork is that it operates by gravity alone, subject to the dropping of a coin;

A further advantage resides in the hereindescribed heating device for keeping warmthe contents of the sacks, which'renders them more salable than if they were unheated.

A further advantage will be described' hereinafter. I

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a vending-machine embodying our invention, showing several packages therein, one of the packages being in the act of being delivered by the machine, the front of the outer cabinet being omitted and the upper portion of the magazine being broken away. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the complete machine, a portion of the cabinet being broken away to expose the coin-operated devices. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section of the magazine, taken on line a b of Fig. 2. Fig. i is a front elevation of the package-feeding wheel. Fig. '5 is a front elevation of the Verticallyadjustable plate 38 and the fixed plate 19, to which it is attached.

The frame of the machine proper is composed of two side plates 2 and 3, which are rigidly connected together by rods or bolts 4 and at their lower ends by a horizontal plate 5, Secured to the top of the machine proper is a magazine 6 7 which comprises a front compartment 6 and a rear compartment 7. These compartments are sufliciently separated from each other by two inwardly-projecting ribs 8, which wherethe magazine is made of sheet metal are formed by bending the metal asshown. The front of the front compartment 6 is formed by an upright pane of glass 9, through which the contents of themagaz'ine may be observed. The magazine is adapted to contain two piles of the packages to be vended,'one pile in each of its compartments 6 and 7 A downward continuation of the of this plate after curling over said rod is bent rearwardly, forming a lip 15, which supports normally the front edge of a horizontal plate 16, the rear edge of which is hinged upon a small rod 17. Plate 16 is urged 'upwardly by a wire spring 18, coiled around rod 17, the ends of said spring being confined between plate 16 and plate 10. The packages in the rear'compartment 7 of the magazine rest upon plate 16, which is released at the proper time and falls, as hereinafter described. A downward continuation of the front of the front magazine-compartment 6 is formed by an upright plate 19, having ears 20, which are soldered or otherwise secured. to the side plates 2 3. Below plate 13 is a transverse shaft 21, upon. which is mounted a package-feeding wheel 22, which comprises four wings 22, the ends of which are secured to two circular heads 23. These wings are shown as constructed of sheet metal; but they may be made of wood or of cast metal, if preferred. Theleft-hand end of shaft 21 is journaled in side plate 3, and the right-hand end of said shaft is journaled in an ear or bearing 2a, secured to side plate 2. Secured to head 23 adjacent to said bearing 24: are four equallyspaced radial fingers 25, whichregister with the wings 22 of the feedingwheel. Pivoted on a pin 26 is rocking detent 27 whose function is to prevent the feeding-Wheel from turning by engaging one of the fingers 25. Pivoted on another pin, 28, below said detent is a trigger '29, which is adapted to hold the detent in its normal position by engaginga small projection 30 at the bottom of the detent. The trigger 29 is normally held in the position shown by a small flat spring 31, the upper end of which is secured to an upwardlyprojecting portion 32 of the detent. Said spring presses against a projection 33, formed on the trigger, and thereby holds the point of the trigger up against the bottom of the detent 27. The lower portion 34 of the trigger 29 hangs behind the lower end of a coinchute 35 in position to be struck by a falling coin of sufficient size; but this portion of the trigger is made short enough to permit a coin to pass it and fall into the coin-receptacle after actuating the trigger.

In front of the feeding-wheel 22 is a depending plate 36, provided with cars 37, which are pivotally connected to the respective side plates 2 3. Said plate 36 hangs normally in an inclined position, (indicated by dotted line.) A package in the act of falling oif the feeding-wheel will push this plate outwardly, as shown, and farther, after which the plate will resume, by gravity, its normal position. The purpose of this plate is to prevent persons from tampering with the bottom package, which rests upon the feeding-wheel. Secured to the front of the aforesaid stationary plate is a vertically-adjustable plate 38. The position of the bottom of this plate regulates the height of the opening through which the packages must fall. The smaller the packages to be vended, the lower this plate 38 must be set, because it is necessary to prevent the smaller packages from being delivered until the feeding-wheel is rotated. Our preferred device for attaching plate 38 to plate 19 consists of a rivet or screw 39 and a spring 40. Said rivet or screw passes through a vertical slot 41 in plate 38 and holds the ends of said spring pressed upon plate 38, whereby said plateis held in any position in which it is adjusted. This adjustable plate adapts the machine for vending packages of different sizes, which is an advantage over other vendingmachines.

Behind the feeding-wheel 22 and plate 19, extending from side to side and top to bottom of the frame of the machine, is a curved plate 42. Behind plate 42 is a keroseneburner 43, which is connected pivotally by a radial arm 44 to a vertical supplypipe 45, which occupies one corner of the cabinet 46 and projects from the top thereof, supporting an oil-can 47. Plate 42 protects the merchandise from the soot of the flame of the burner; but said plate becoming heated heats the air above it, which ascends and warms the pop-corn, peanuts, or other contents of the packages. A door 48 in the rear of the cabinet 46 gives access to the burner, and, if desired, the burner may be swung outside of the cabinet through this door. In the front and'top of the cabinet, respectively, are doors 49 and 50, the former to expose the contents of the magazine, the latter to uncover the top of the magazine for filling. Openings 51 are cut through the side plates 2 3 and through the sides of the cabinet 46, so that any person may see that there is a source of heat within the machine/'. 0., the burner 43.

The operation of this machine is as follows: Both compartments 6 and 7 of the magazine are'filled with the packages or articles to be sold. The packages in the front compartment will fall between plates 19 and 13 until the bottom package strikes one of the rotary wings 22. The packages in the rear compartment will be until plate 13 can move forward supported by plate 16, and the weight of said packages upon plate 16 being transmitted to plate 13 through its lip 15 will keep it pressed lightly against the packages in front of it. When a proper coin falls through the coin-chute 35, it will tip the trigger 29, which will tip the detent 27 to the left, thereby releasing the radial linger 25, with which it is in contact, and the weight of the packages upon the wing 22 will rotate the feedingwheel ninety degrees, or a quarter-turn, in the direction indicated by the arrow. The finger 25 that was released by the detentwill in its rotation push down the upward projection 32 of the detent, which will be thereby tilted back to its normal position, in which it will engage the following radial linger 25 and will thereby prevent further rotation of the feeding-wheel. The spring 31 will simultaneously restore the trigger 29 to its normal position. The coin will have fallen into the bottom of the machine and one of the packages will have been delivered through the front of the machine by the rotation of the feeding-wheel. As soon as the last package from the front compartment of the magazine has been delivered the weight of the packages in the rear compartment upon plate 16 and lip 15 will swing forward the depending plate 13, which will move the lip 15 sufiieiently to permit plate 16 to drop. This will admit the packages to the feeding-wheel, which will deliver them as described, and when the last of these packages has been delivered the plate 16 will be raised by its spring 18 and will pass the lip 15, which, however, will prevent the descent of plate 16, provided that the front compartment of the magazine be lilled first.

Having now fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. In a vending-machine, a two-part reservoir or magazine, a discharge-clmte leading therefrom, a pivoted plate forming a bottom for one portion of the magazine, said plate being held in closed position by a portion of the contents of the opposite part of the magazine.

2. In a vending-machine, a two-part reservoir or magazine, a discharge-chute leading therefrom, a pivoted partition inthe discharge-ch u te, and a movable bottom connected to the partition and serving normally to close movable bottom for one of the compartments,

meansoperable by the volume of articles issuing' from a second compartment for holding said bottom in closed position, and means operable by the weight of the articles in the first compartment for moving said bottom to open position. I

5. In a vending-machine, a reservoir, a delivery-drum, having a plurality of radial Wings, a plurality of spaced fingers carried by the drum and of a number equal to the number of wings, a pivotally-mounted latch adapted to successively engage and. release the fingers, said latch serving to frictionally engage'the released fingers to retard the delivery movement, and means for releasing said'latch. I

6. In a vending-machine, a revoluble drum, having article-receiving pockets, and an ad'- justable plate movable toward and from the periphery of the drum toan extent determinied by the-size of the articles to be delivere 7, In a vending-machine, arevoluble drum having a plurality of radially-disposed partitions dividing the periphery of the drum into a series of pockets, a magazine adapted to contain articles to be delivered and to guide a column of such articles into alinement with one of the partitions, the Weight of the column'being supported on the outer edge of said partition in advance of its entrance into the pocket between two of said partitions, means for locking the drum, and means for releasing the drum to permit the discharge of the lowermost article of the column.

In testimony whereof We afiix our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

Witnessesi SAMUEL DOUGHERTY, Josnrn F. DUVALL. 

